Past perfect - introductory lesson

Past perfect

How can we create past perfect sentences? What is it even? And how does it compare to present perfect?

Let's find out!

To understand past perfect, let's review the PRESENT PERFECT first:

• the auxiliary verbs (pomocné sloveso) "have" + the main verb in past participle form (the third column of the verbs)

• ex: "I have been to London three times."

• "She has been living in Prague since she was born."

• "Have you ever seen lions?"

• "We haven't tried this game yet!"

When do we use PRESENT PERFECT?

• when we talk about something in the past but we don't know when it happened ("I have been there!" - we don't know when, but we know it has been in the past)

• when there is some present result of something that happened in the past ("I have lost my keys!" = I still don't have them)

• news/recent events ("The Queen has just given a speech." - often used with "just/yet/already/recently")

• unfinished time (something, that has not finished yet): life experience, today/this week/this month/... ("I haven't seen her this week.")

• when we talk about "how long" something has been ("I've known Josh for three years.")

Now, how does it compare to PAST PERFECT?

We create PAST PERFECT by using:

• the auxiliary verb (pomocné sloveso) "had" (just "have" in the past, see?)

• + the main verb in past participle form (the third column of the verbs - just the same as present perfect!)

• ex: She had just finished her exam when the timer went off.

• When we arrived, the film had started.

• ! we don't use -s in the third person singular - don't forget, we use that only in present tenses ;) now we are talking about past

• You can see, that past perfect is often used in combination with past simple... why, you may ask?

...we use PAST PERFECT to express something happening before something else in the past

I remembered (in the past - when I woke up). I remembered everything that HAD HAPPENED before I woke up.

When exactly do we use it? Study the picture.

Past perfect x present perfect

• from the previous picture we can now see, that PAST PERFECT is used in the same situations as present perfect, but in the past... easy, right?

• Let's study some examples:

"Suzan had been really fit before the accident."

1. Suzan was really fit.

2. Then she had an accident (the accident happened in the past - for example four years ago)

3. Now she is not really fit.

-> all the time before the accident she had been really fit

(sorry for the not really positive example O:o) )

"Tom had never seen an opera before last night."

1. Tom didn't see any opera.

2. Yesterday night he went to see an opera.

3. Now he knows what an opera is.

-> All the time before yesterday night he had not seen an opera.

"Mike had gone to the cinema when his friend arrived to see him."

1. Mike went to the cinema.

2. His friend arrived to see him, but Mike wasn't there. He was already somewhere else - on his way to the cinema, or maybe already in the cinema.

=> Mike left before his friend arrived.

Be careful!

There are some wild irregular verbs! If you don't remember them, you need to review! Here, let me show you some...

Do you think you understand? Let's practice!

Yes, you are going to play a game, finally ;)

Multiple Choice

use past perfect: She _____ in this place before.

• have worked

• had worked

• has worked

• had work

Multiple Choice

They _____ the project in time.

• have not completed

• had not complete

• hadn't completed

• hasn't completed

Multiple Choice

Tom returned the book yesterday, but I knew he ____ it.

• have not read

• has not read

• had not read

• had not readed

Multiple Choice

I ___ French before I moved to France.

• studied

• have studied

• had studied

• had study

Multiple Choice

The guests ___ before the sunset.

• gone

• went

• have went

• had gone

Multiple Choice

She ___ the meal before I came.

• have cooked

• had cooked

• has cooked

• cooked

Multiple Choice

Daria came to visit him after Mark ____ to the library.

• leave

• left

• has left

• had left

Multiple Choice

The postman ___ after I ___ the office.

• comes, left

• had come, left

• came, left

• came, had left

How is it with past simple and past perfect in one sentence, again?

Always try to think about what was first and what was second. What happened first here: The postman came after I had left the office.

1. I left the office.

2. The postman came.

-> He came after I had left.

Whatever happened first, "more in the past", is in past perfect. You can understand it as a "past before past".

Let's continue with our practice!

Multiple Choice

I ___ (wonder) where I ___ (see) him before.

• wondered, seen

• wondered, had seen

• had wondered, saw

• had wondered, seen

Multiple Choice

It ___ (start) raining before I ___ (arrived) home.

• had started, had arrived

• had started, arrived

• started, had arrived

• started, arrived

Multiple Choice

The poet had already ___ a poem.

• written

• has written

• had written

Multiple Choice

I ___ (see) such a beautiful dog before I ___ (see) Max when he was just a puppy.

• had seen, saw

• had not seen, saw

• saw, had seen

• didn't see, had seen

Multiple Choice

The leopard ___ (climb) up the tree before the lion ___ (come).

• had climbed, came

• had climbed, come

• climbed, had came

• climbed, had come

Multiple Choice

The shopkeeper ___ (close) the shop before I ___ (reach) there.

• closed, have reached

• closed, had reached

• has closed, reached

• had closed, reached

Poll

So... how confident are you with the grammar now?

• It's easy so far!

• I quite understand.

• I don't understand much.

• I don't understand at all.